Misguided Memories
by VampireGRose
Summary: Mugen begins recollecting on his past and the time he spent before journeying with Fuu and Jin. The people he met, and the life he lived. Meanwhile, Fuu becomes concerned about her bodyguard's recent signs of alienation.
1. Chapter 1

** CHAPTER**** - **One - Earliest Memories

** RATING - T** - Some mild violence/bad language/sexual content

** PAIRINGS -** Mugen x Fuu

** NOTE -** Don't own Samurai Champloo

* * *

Mugen returned to his inadequate sleeping quarters. He didn't take in much consideration for his spitefulness towards Fuu. Why should he care what others think? It's not his problem. The only one he can trust is himself and that's how it's been since he could understand the meaning of those words. Life has its choices and throughout his life he's had to make choices whether to kill or be killed. That is how the damned world works: kill or be killed—that is answer. He stuck to that motto like it was glued to his soul. It will never cease to leave him.

But Mugen wasn't thinking about death as he lay back down. Quiet the opposite actually. Life was something Mugen rarely discussed to himself about—especially when it was associated with him. Sure he hated it, in all its pitiful glory. Yet, he couldn't get away from the idea of bringing up his past. All those memories of that ungrateful time on those hell stricken islands known as Ryukyu wouldn't leave. Even so, throughout the madness there were memories he was unwilling to forget.

_I guess I should start from the beginning, huh?_

* * *

Mugen's POV:

The first place I can vividly remember was a town covered in fire. As if Satan himself had come out from the depths of hell to pollute the land with his fury. Men were calling out while being slaughtered, women were screaming while being raped and the haunting sound of a drum rumbling mingled in the ash ridden air. There was no way that any other part of the world could compare to this.

I never had a father—if I did then he was never around. As for a mother, well whoever she was to have gone through the painful process of bring a damn thing like me into this world I assume she didn't live long afterward. I can't blame her. Who would want a scumbag piece-of-shit like me around? Wow, insulting others seemed so casual, but when I turn those words on myself I feel this intense sensation coil around my throat. It's suffocating to the point where I may just burst out crying like a baby.

_Baby._

Come to think of it, unlike most kids who can't remember the first thing they saw, their first words or first steps I can recall everything. I guess coming from a hellhole such as Ryukyu you need to keep those memories alive, they may save your ass—considering they're the reasons between life and death. If you can't see you can't fight. If you can't talk you can't negotiate. If you can't walk then you can't run.

Like I had said before—the first place I can vividly remember was a town covered in fire. My first words…probably something like; "Oh shit!" My first steps were interrupted by buckling knees. I nearly collapsed and realized the extent of my injures. Blood soaked into my shirt, drenching it in a foreign color combined by a mixture of red and grayish brown. Although fear was wrapping around me this kind of situation was something I had grown accustomed to.

Blood was like a lifestyle. Wake up in it, breathe in it, and sleep in it. It was either like a bug you couldn't swat off or a best friend you couldn't ignore. Blood was always with me. It was the meaning of life and when I saw it spurt out of a fallen victim I knew there was little chance they'd get back up.

My club was battered. It had taken a beating from the continuous act of slamming it against the head of some evil bastard. When I first stole it, it was even bigger than my arms combined. Now it had shrunken down to the size of only one arm. I knew it wasn't going to last another good maul. I needed a new weapon.

Whilst darting past raiders who were busy stealing women and valuables, I managed to come across a sheathed tantō lying in one of the vacant houses. I was quick enough to escape before the roof caved in above me. Success, a new weapon worthy of use—at least for a little while until something better appeared.

"Hey what the hell are you doing brat?"

I turned my attention towards an ugly man who had that blood-thirsty look in his eye that he wanted to kill me. I was absolutely right. He swung at me with his axe but I dodged in time to counterattack. He was dead within seconds.

The commotion attracted more of the ugly man's pals to the scene. One included their boss who was a big-ass guy both in height and in size. He seemed impressed by my actions. The expression on his fat-ass face read approval.

"Not bad kid. Nice clean kill. How's about you join our gang, what do ya' say?"

I paused for a moment. In a weak voice I asked, "Will there be food?"

The brute guffawed. "I like ya' kid." He moved closer to examine me. "Even though you've been cut up pretty good none of it seems to faze you. How old are ya' anyway?"

"Nine, I think."

There was a brief uproar of gasps.

"Hmm, you'll be the youngest of us all. Got a name?"

I shook my head.

"We'll figure that out later then." He reached out his sausage-of-a-hand to me. "Welcome to the crew, kid."

* * *

Author's Note:

Hope you liked it! I realize this is shorter than the previous one but I prefer writing each chapter shorter and quicker release rather than lengthy and have a longer wait. Well looks like Mugen's got himself into a pretty deep situation. I'm kind of excited to start things out with his childhood. I might go back even further than this but for now I think I'll continue from where this has left off. Anyway **review for more!**

PS- My biggest concern is Mugen's personality. Do you guys think he's good enough in character? It would be a big help to tell me, thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

** CHAPTER**** - **Two - First Time for Everything

** RATING - T** - Some mild violence/bad language/sexual content

** PAIRINGS -** Mugen x Fuu

** NOTE -** Don't own Samurai Champloo

* * *

I rolled onto my side, hiding my face underneath my hair. Sleep was difficult to obtain when my mind continued to shift back and forth between the past and the present.

If there was one word I can never say in public, it was regret. My dictionary had no such six-letter word within in—nothing. It was something foreign and inconceivable to the point that thinking of it gave me head trauma. Damn, and yet I'm wasting my time recollecting my past and everything that led up to me being stuck with the stick-thin waitress and four-eyed loser.

_Whatever, let's get back into it…_

* * *

Shit had taken a turn once I joined the fatass' gang of pirates. Fatass' real name was Captain Kuki (no shit, that was his actual name) and he sailed the seas along with his men. The majority I can forget, because I have, but the few that I can remember included a skinny twinkled-toed guy named Gato, a bulky, hairy dude named Ikki and lastly Ryuu.

Ryuu was the easiest to remember. He was the ship's navigator, an old fart who harbored a deep love for the sea and sparked a gold tooth in his mouth every time he smiled— which was _a lot, _sometimes too much that I'd ask why. He'd tell me that he's just doing what makes him happy and what made him happy was stealing, eating, sleeping, fighting and smiling.

Now thinkin' about it, I miss that old fart. He was a nice dude, really the only one who taught me the basics of survival (although I credit myself as being self-taught). He's also the one who named me, the first time he said my name I thought it was a complete downer.

"_Moo_-gen?" I repeated, emphasizing the first syllable with disgust.

Ryuu scratched his chin. "Hmm, I was considering Kuki Jr. if you'd prefer."

"No," I said before he even finished. "But why _Moo-_gen?"

"First of all, it's Mugen, and it's a strong, fiery name for someone like you, kid." He chuckled, revealing his gold tooth. "Be proud of it because you're stuck with it."

Hell for what he was worth, he was a good guy. He taught me how to fish and how to steal with as much silence as a pirate could do before he ran with the booty.

Speaking of booty…

There wasn't an abundance of it where I come from. Of course, there's that old superstition that a woman is terribly bad luck on a boat filled with sweaty, testosterone filled fuck-knuckles whose only occupations are to steal, kill and get laid. Most of the crew would talk about their excursions beyond the sea, some further away then others and they'd make jokes and slobber over talk about big tits and ass. During those days I was a stupid cabin boy, so I had little time off to hang about the crew deck and cough up some juicy conversations. I wouldn't even be able to participate regularly if I had because at the time I was still a virgin.

My moment came when I was about fourteen, my voice had deepened, my balls had dropped, and I grew hair in other places other than my head. It was with a broad who wasn't severely atrocious but wasn't pampered to a crisp either. It could have been because Ikki had her before me but she smelled of a mixture of sweat and other pheromones that I'd rather not get into.

Regardless of how bravado and cocky I acted at the time she could sense my nervousness underneath it all. I was probably like that since Gato and Ikki were standing in the same room drinking booze and watching the whole show with plastered smirks on their faces. Maybe they were proud of the way I handled it, maybe they were mocking me, or maybe they were—

She was a cool chick though. She talked me through some stuff and she thought I had a nice body and rugged features (which I might add, I do). Unfortunately, when I walked out the other guys didn't follow. I heard some muffled screaming on my way up to the ship's deck. Never saw her the next day, or any day after that. I think they threw her overboard.

Shame, I liked her.

**Third Person P.O.V.**

The floorboard shifted and Mugen looked over his shoulder to see Fuu had rested herself about a foot away from him. Jin was leaning against the wall on the opposite end with his sword in his embrace.

The vagabond noticed a few tendrils of hair slip down and over the young girl's face. He carefully rolled himself the other way towards her and reached up to tuck the tendrils behind her ear. Fuu twitched at the contact between them but neglected to wake up. Content, Mugen shut his eyes and waited for sleep.

* * *

Author's Note:

Wow, how long has it been? Almost a year since I've written anything on fanfic, and over a year since I've written anything for this story. I hope you guys enjoyed it and sorry about some graphic nature, had to be done. I hope you liked the ending bit though, tehe Fuugen! Please **review** for more


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER** - Three - Storm of Senses

**RATING **-** T **- Some mild violence/bad language/sexual content

**PAIRINGS** - Mugen x Fuu

**NOTE** - Don't own Samurai Champloo

* * *

**Third Person P.O.V.**

The morning crept through the windows, surreptitiously. Mugen raised his head and felt a weight resting on his chest. It was Fuu. She was curled up in a fetal position beside him with her face resting against him. Mugen removed her as subtly as possible before both she and Four-Eyes woke up to the awkward situation.

A lake sat nearby the abandoned shack in which the three used as a temporary home. Mugen decided to indulge. After all, he needed to bathe somehow. They were dirt poor at the moment, so even if a bathhouse fell from the sky, he would not be able to pay for it.

He ignored the growling pain in his stomach and exited the shack. He took in the new morning's air, hearing the mating calls of birds in the trees surrounding the shack, and finally fixating his eyes on the sun's reflection off of the lake's surface.

He threw off his red coat and white shirt. His feet entered the water.

* * *

**Mugen's P.O.V.**

It rained a lot during my travels—sometimes so hard and fast that each drop felt like a knife against my skin. Storms were abundant in the sea, but their abundance helped me develop a new skill.

Ryuu had it too—he called it his sixth sense—the ability to sense weather patterns in the wind. While I learned to understand how the wind conditions traveled, Ryuu told me how to utilize that skill into a _sense._ He said it wasn't something that could be taught, it had to be instinctual—to grow from within, or some shit like that.

I remember during this one storm, when I was about twelve; fatass' crew was busy plundering a frigate. The storm itself was a tough bastard to fight, but it made for a strong ally during the boarding. I was already self-taught in the art of combat. Ryuu noticed my nimble movements and quick timing and naturally applauded me. I remember one guy tried getting a good slice out of me, but I ducked down and tripped the dickhead right onto his, well, head. His neck snapped in half. Then I rolled in between these two soldiers, spun around on the middle part of my back rapidly, with my feet straight in the air, disarming both of them. The move was a first, and a rather arbitrary act. Even Captain Kuki hooted my way when he witnessed it.

"Whirlpool ahead!" Ryuu cried beneath the heavy rainfall. He was simultaneously fighting off some clumsy asshole in the crow's nest.

I finished off the two soldiers and hurried to the boat's bow. I saw nothing in my immediate vision. At first I thought he was just in the heat of the moment, or perhaps trying to scare our adversaries. But then as I narrowed my eyes, I saw a bright swirling circle arise from the thundering waves.

"Oh, shit," I said aloud.

Our ship was still busy plundering, and Captain Kuki was an arrogant fuck, who would rather die than flee from stealing a good amount of booty.

Ikki grabbed the wheel. "Fuck, fuck fuck!" Despite his size, he could barely move the wheel enough to surpass the incoming danger. We were going to hit.

Then suddenly, I felt the wind change for a moment. It changed again, becoming a rhythm of changes.

"Coming about!" One of my crewmembers yelled.

The boom of the ship came around and I ducked down out of the way in the last second before it knocked me out. The wind changed again and I ducked another incoming blow. We were only a few ship lengths from the whirlpool.

Something in me forced my body into action. I pushed Ikki aside to grab the wheel and ordered him and Gato to take the lines and reposition the winch, respectively. They obeyed, surprised, and as soon as they completed their tasks the ship began to turn far easier. It turned so sharply and barely missed the collision with the whirlpool.

The rains began to subside. Several crewmembers rejoiced. The plunder was ours and we had escaped a horrific demise. Ryuu hopped down from the crow's nest and patted my back.

"You have the _sense _in you after all,_" _he whispered with a golden smile.

I also crooked a smile. Of course I had it in me.

The only exception was Captain Kuki. He didn't like the fact that I acted as if I had control of the crew and scolded me for acting on impulse. Whatever, it wasn't as if he'd have saved us. He'd have rather gone down with the ship.

It was a triumphant day. The crew celebrated with drinks all around.

* * *

**Third Person P.O.V.**

Mugen remembered that day, and the beating of the rain on his back. It was far different than today. Today the skies would not birth any rains, not even clouds. The aqua blue world above him was devoid of any white or grey coloration.

He walked further into the lake, until the water hit the tips of his shorts. He scooped up some water and poured it over his collarbone. The streams of liquid fell down his chest and abdomen. He scooped up some more and let the cool sensation wash over his arms as he cleansed them. He began humming a tune to himself that Ryuu used to sing.

"A pirate's life for me," he sang aloud. His thumbs wedged themselves in between either side of his short's rim. He pulled the fabric down over his hips—

"Stop! Oh my god, stop!"

He was startled so much that he accidently pulled his shorts up too high and gave himself a wedgy. Then he swung around and leered at the waitress. "What the fuck, you stupid broad?"

She was shielding her eyes with her hands. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I just…why do you have to do that right in the brink of the morning?"

"Who cares what time of day it is, why the hell do you have to be watching me? You some kind of secret perverted chick?" He began trekking out of the water towards her.

She cautiously unshielded her vision and saw his muscular physique glimmering in the earlier sunlight. He surprisingly looked handsome. Her face felt warm.

"What?" he asked.

She swirled around, facing the shack. "Nothing, can you just put your clothes back on?"

"I'm not taking orders from you."

"Just shut up and do it, okay?" Suddenly, she felt coldness wash over her back and she let out a yelp.

Mugen stood behind her, laughing uncontrollably.

"Y-you jackass!" Fuu ran up to him and splashed water in his face in retaliation. "Now I have to walk in damp clothes!"

"Serves you right, dumbass," he replied and washed some of the water off with his hand.

She huffed and stuck her nose in the air.

Then he splashed her again, laughing even more. He had hit her in the face.

"Damn it, Mugen!"

They began a war of splashing water, until Fuu eventually yielded. She exited the lake and tried to squeeze out some of the dripping water from her kimono. She noticed Mugen staring at her and this time she was the one to ask, "What?"

He pointed. "Your tits are showing."

She blinked and looked down to see the fabric of her kimono hugging tightly to her chest. Her nipples were erect.

She threw her arms over them. "You pervert! Pervert! Pervert! Pervert!" she repeated angrily.

Mugen scratched the back of his head. "They're just tits. Besides, I've seen better."

She glared and continued berating him with insults that were true of his nature. He smiled and walked out of the water until he was at her level. Her berates abruptly ended when his face came dangerously close.

"Fuu," he said softly. The first time she had heard him say her name with such rawness. His eyes were haunting, yet deeper within their dark orbs she saw something that mesmerized her.

Her face felt warm again. "W-what?"

"You're an idiot."

She punched his head. "I'm not the idiot! _You're _the idiot!"

"Am I interrupting something?" Jin appeared from the door of shack, seemingly having chimed in at the worst time.

Fuu waved one hand in the air as the other continued to cover her breasts. "N-no! Mugen's just being a jerk as usual."

They left the conversation at that and focused on more important and distracting things, like food. They decided to have fish for breakfast.

* * *

Author's Note: Wow, another long wait, I sincerely apologize. I hope you guys enjoyed another chapter of Fuugen. I figured I needed to hurry up a bit with their relationship so I added in some spice to this chapter ;-) Please **rate **and** review!**


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